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It was another classic battle between two teams led by Hall of Fame quarterbacks on Sunday, as the Denver Broncos beat the New England Patriots 20-18 to earn a berth in Super Bowl 50.
Here are five takeaways from the AFC Championship Game.
5. Tight Ends Rule
Getty ImagesAll three passing touchdowns in Sunday's game were caught by tight ends, with both of Broncos' tight end Owen Daniels' receptions going for six and Rob Gronkowski having another big game (eight receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown).
4. Peyton Manning Can Still Be This Era's John Elway
Getty ImagesManning was fairly efficient again on Sunday, with two touchdown passes and most importantly zero interceptions. The fairy tale storyline in which he wins a Super Bowl in the final game of his career, remains intact with the symmetry of John Elway being his boss and the driving force for bringing Manning to Denver.
3. Wade Phillips Is A Highly Underrated Football Coach
Getty ImagesThe Broncos' defense gives Phillips plenty to work with, but he still deserves credit as a game planner and for getting the most out of the league's best unit. Phillips is an easy punch line as a head coach, but I'll bet you didn't realize he has a .562 regular season winning percentage (82-64 record) as a head man.
2. The Formula To Rattle Tom Brady Still Works
Getty ImagesNo quarterback functions well under constant pressure, but on some big stages Tom Brady has been thrown off his game by the relentlessness of an opponent's pass rush. The Broncos put consistent heat on Brady during Sunday's game, led by Von Miller, and took down the Patriots as a direct result.
1. Von Miller Is About To Be a Very Rich Man
Getty ImagesMiller dismissed talk about how quickly Tom Brady got rid of the ball in the divisional round during the week, then backed it up with 2.5 sacks, four credited quarterback hits and an interception on Sunday. Miller is set to hit free agency this offseason, and while the expectation is the Broncos will make every effort to keep him, other teams will be lining up with big contract offers.
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